06042012

Romans 13

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Romans 13

Obey Your Government Rulers

1 All of you must obey the government rulers. Everyone who rules was given the power to rule by God. And all those who rule now were given that power by God. 2 So anyone who is against the government is really against something God has commanded. Those who are against the government bring punishment on themselves. 3 People who do right don’t have to fear the rulers. But those who do wrong must fear them. Do you want to be free from fearing them? Then do only what is right, and they will praise you.

4 Rulers are God’s servants to help you. But if you do wrong, you have reason to be afraid. They have the power to punish, and they will use it. They are God’s servants to punish those who do wrong. 5 So you must obey the government, not just because you might be punished, but because you know it is the right thing to do.

I admit that I always not obey the rules but that day when I heard from bro Jun Jun when he get a saman when back from GenXtra, he share that, God tell him, if you can't obey the rules and regulation that you know and the person you can see, how you gonna obey the one you can't see? God, please help me to obey you with all my heart.

6 And this is why you pay taxes too. Those rulers are working for God, and they give all their time to the work of ruling. 7 Give everyone what you owe them. If you owe them any kind of tax, then pay it. Show respect to those you should respect. And show honor to those you should honor.

God want us to respect the authority as God loves them too and he want us to respect those we should. and show honor to those we must honor. God please lead me to respect my boss and love her as what you had love me.

Loving Others Is the Only Law

8 You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. 9 The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” [a] All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor [b] the same as you love yourself.” [c] 10 Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.

11 I say this because you know that we live in an important time. Yes, it is now time for you to wake up from your sleep. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost finished. The day is almost here. So we should stop doing whatever belongs to darkness. We should prepare ourselves to fight evil with the weapons that belong to the light. 13 We should live in a right way, like people who belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or be drunk. We should not be involved in sexual sin or any kind of immoral behavior. We should not cause arguments and trouble or be jealous. 14 But be like the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when people see what you do, they will see Christ. Don’t think about how to satisfy the desires of your sinful self.

We are owing to God. God want us pay back through loving others. Loving obey all the laws. I choose to obey God and I choose to love others. I must remind myself to stop involved in anything that God hates. I need to be a righteous person that please God. Hate what God hates and Love what God loves. God please teach me how to be more like You as I wish I could stop thinking how to satisfy the desires of my sinful self.

Romans 14

Don’t Criticize Others

1 Be willing to accept those who still have doubts about what believers can do. And don’t argue with them about their different ideas. 2 Some people believe they can eat any kind of food, [a] but those who have doubts eat only vegetables. 3 Those who know they can eat any kind of food must not feel that they are better than those who eat only vegetables. And those who eat only vegetables must not decide that those who eat all foods are wrong. God has accepted them. 4 You cannot judge the servants of someone else. Their own master decides if they are doing right or wrong. And the Lord’s servants will be right, because the Lord is able to make them right.

5 Some people might believe that one day is more important than another. And others might believe that every day is the same. Everyone should be sure about their beliefs in their own mind. 6 Those who think one day is more important than other days are doing that for the Lord. And those who eat all kinds of food are doing that for the Lord. Yes, they give thanks to God for that food. And those who refuse to eat some foods do that for the Lord. They also give thanks to God.

sometimes I simply judge that which food is is not clean as we eat we will be sinful too. but it not clearly state that the food had given for the prayer purpose of the other religion is not clean. We should know that what belief in their own mind. as Romans 14:6 if they think that those who eat all kind food are doing for that Lord they give thanks to God. What's wrong with that? God still accepted them, because we can't judge the servant of someone else. God decide if they are doing right or wrong. and Lord's servant will be right, because Lord is able to make them right.

7 We don’t live or die just for ourselves. 8 If we live, we are living for the Lord. And if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So living or dying, we belong to the Lord. 9 That is why Christ died and rose from death to live again—so that he could be Lord over those who have died and those who are living.

10 So why do you judge your brother or sister in Christ? Or why do you think that you are better than they are? We will all stand before God, and he will judge us all. 11 Yes, the Scriptures say,

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,

‘Everyone will bow before me;

everyone will say that I am God.’”

12 So each of us will have to explain to God about the things we do.

Don’t Cause Others to Sin

13 So we should stop judging each other. Let’s decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for a brother or sister or hurt their faith. 14 I know that there is no food that is wrong to eat. The Lord Jesus is the one who convinced me of that. But if someone believes that something is wrong, then it is wrong for that person.

15 If you hurt the faith of your brother or sister because of something you eat, you are not really following the way of love. Don’t destroy anyone’s faith by eating something they think is wrong. Christ died for them. 16 Don’t allow what is good for you to become something they say is evil. 17 In God’s kingdom, what we eat and drink is not important. Here is what is important: a right way of life, peace, and joy—all from the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever serves Christ by living this way is pleasing God, and they will be accepted by others.

19 So let’s try as hard as we can to do what will bring peace. Let’s do whatever will help each other grow stronger in faith. 20 Don’t let the eating of food destroy the work of God. All food is right to eat, but it is wrong for anyone to eat something that hurts the faith of another person. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that hurts the faith of your brother or sister.

22 You should keep your beliefs about these things a secret between yourself and God. It is a blessing to be able to do what you think is right without feeling guilty. 23 But anyone who eats something without being sure it is right is doing wrong. That is because they did not believe it was right. And if you do anything that you believe is not right, it is sin.

Thanks God that keeping me faith in you and guide me so that I stop judging each other and let's decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for someone or hurt their faith. I know that's a blessing if I able to do what I think is right without feeling guilty. God please guide me and lead me all the time so that I can be always right under your guidance. Holy spirit I need you give me wisdom to know which I do is please God and which the hates of God I must get aways from. Thanks Lord.